1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pick-up style utility vehicle which can expand a cargo bed in a front direction so as to optimize an area or capacity of a cargo bed space or a passenger space according to user demands.
2. Description of the Related Art
At present, utility vehicles of various styles are used. Other than a pick-up style utility vehicle with a relatively large cargo bed behind a seat, there is a straddle-type all terrain vehicle having a handle bar, or the like.
Typically, the pick-up style utility vehicle is more practical than the handle bar type utility vehicle belonging to the straddle-type all terrain vehicle. The pick-up style utility vehicle is used for hunting in fields and mountains, conveyance of lumber, movement in golf courses, golf course maintenance, and the like.
The present applicants have formerly applied the inventions relating to the pick-up style utility vehicle with a cargo bed whose area or capacity can be expanded. Their applications have been filed, which are, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,905,159, 6,994,388, and 7,249,798.
A configuration of the pick-up style utility vehicle disclosed in the respective documents has a front seat including a driver's seat, a rear seat, and a cargo bed in this order from front. The rear seat is changed between a used state and a retracted state to switch between 2 passengers transformation and 4 passengers transformation. In the 2 passengers transformation, a front portion of the cargo bed can be expanded to a riding space occupied by the rear seat in the used state.
In the pick-up style utility vehicle of the prior art, the layout of the seats is changeable between 2 passengers transformation and 4 passengers transformation. However, the number of persons riding in the pick-up style utility vehicle is not limited to two or four and can be three or one. In this case, the seats are uselessly unoccupied.
In the pick-up style utility vehicle of the prior art, all the seats including the driver's seat are configured so that passengers are seated forward thereon. On the other hand, the gap between the rear seat and the front seat in a front-rear direction is limited, so that the leg space in front of the rear seat is small. Accordingly, it is hard to get into and off the vehicle in 4 passengers transformation.